Warmer for footwear.



W. W. LILLARD.

WARMER FOR FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION Flu-:D Nov. 2. 1911.

A TTRNEKS Patented Aug. 13, 19181.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIeE.

WILLIAM W. LILLARD, or IEVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOE or ONE-HALE Tov ERNEST JOHN KING, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

WARMER FOR FOOTWEAR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. LILLARD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Irvington, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Warmer for Footwear, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide `a new and improved warmer for footwear, such as is used for persons exposed to extremely cold weather, for inst-ance, aviators making ights to high altitudes, 'and driversof street cars, automobiles and other vehicles. Another Vobject is to permit of readily applying the warmer to the footwear.

In order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of an insole for removable insertion in a shoe, boot or other footwear, an electric heating medium embedded in the said insole, electric conductors extending through the heel of the footwear to the out- Side thereof, andr sets of contacts in the said heel and thesaid insole and in detachable engagement with each other, one of the sets v lof .contacts being held in the insole and being connected with the said electric heating medium and the other set of contacts being held in the heel 'and being connected with .the said conductors.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the', accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectiona`1 Side elevation of the warmer as applied to a she;

Fig. 2 is a rear end view ofthe same; v

Fig, 3 isa plan view-of the insole; and

Fig. I is a cross section of the same on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

The foot warmer is 'in the form of a heated insole 10 adapted to be placed in a boot, shoe or other footwearl 11, as plainly shown in Fig. 1, and the said insole 10 is preferably made of two superimposed parts 12 and 13, glued, cemented or otherwise fastened together. The lower insole part 13 is provided on its .top with a recess 14 in whlch is arranged ,a heating medium 15, preferably in the form of an electric resistance wire of German silver or the like. The ends of the heating medium 15 are located 65 at-the rear end portion of the insole 10 and Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 13, 41918.

`Application led November 2, 1917. Serial No. 199,877.

` are attached to the heads 16 of tapering contact plugs 17 extending downward through the insole part/'13 and projecting a distance below the under side of the said insole part 13. TheI contact plugs 17 lit into contact sockets 18 embedded inthe top of the heel 19 of the footwear 11. The contact sockets 18 are connected with insulatedv electricconductors 2O extending through the rearV of the heel 19 to the outside of the footwear. The conductors 2,0 pass through a protective waterproof pocket 21 arranged on the rear o f the footwear 11 and the-said conductors 2 0 terminate lin coupling members 22 adapted to be coupled to line wires connected with a battery or other .suitable Source of electrical energy.

It will be noticed that when the several parts are in position in' the footwear, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the coupling members 22 are connected with the insulated .line wires of a source of electrical energyv then the electrlcity from such source passes by Way of the contact sockets 18 and contact plugs 17 to the resistance wire 15 thus heating the same and consequently the insole 10 in which the heating medium 15 is embedded.

It will also be noticed that the'contactsockets 18 can be readily placed in position in shoes, boots and other footwear as now constructed, and the electric conductors 20 can be readily connected with the said Sockets and the user of the footwear has only to slip the insole 10 in positionin the footwear so that the contact plugs 1 7 engage thev contact sockets 1S.

It will also be noticed that thev conductors 20, are carried upward near the top of the footwear and attached thereto by means of the pocket 21. This is done to keep the coupling members 22 as high up as possible because if the footwear is partly submerged in Water or mud the conductors 20 will not be short lcircuited until'the coupling mem- 'bers 22 are submerged. The waterproof pocket 21 is designed to protect the insulation of the conductors 20 from injury and especially from moisture. Placing the conductors 20 in a neatpocket is of importance from the'standpoint of appearance of the footwear. The pocket 20 can be so constructed as to be scarcely noticeable, which is a .very desirable feature.

Connection with the line wires can be in the said insole, electric conductors extending through the heel of the footwear to the outside thereof, and sets of contacts in 'the said heel and the said insole and in detachable engagement with each other, one

of the sets of contacts being held on the inl sole and being connected with the said electric heating medium, and the other set ofl contacts "being held in the heel -and being connected with the said conductors.

2. A warmer f or footwear, comprising an insole, an electric heating medium embedded therein and vprovided with contact plugs,

contact sockets embedded in the heel of the I footwear and engaged by the said contact plugs, and conductors connectedv with the said Contact lsockets and extending to the outside of the heel for connection with a source of electrical energy.

. 3. A warmer for footwear, comprising an insole made in two superimposed parts, of

which one is provided with a recess, anl electric resistance wire in the said recess, spaced contact' plugs connected with the terminals of the said wires and extending through the lower part of the insole and projecting downward a distance from the-bottom of 4the said lower insole part, contact sockets embedded in the top of the heel ofthe footwear and engaged by the said contact plugs, and conductors connected with the said conftact sockets and extending through the rear of the heel to the outside thereof for connection with a source ofelectrical energy.

4. A warmer for footwear, comprising an insole made in two superimposed parts, of Whi ch one is provided with a recess, an electric resistance wire in the said recess, spaced contact plugs connected with the terminals of the said wireA and extending through the lower part of the insole and projecting downward la distance from the bottom of the said lower insole part, contact sockets embedded in the top of .the heel of the footwear and' engaged by the said contact` plugs, conductors connected with the said contact sockets andA extending through the heel-,to theoutside thereof, the outer ends -of the conductors terminating in coupling 4members, and a pocket on the footwear and through which extend the outer portions of the said conductors.

`5. A warmer for footwear, comprising an insole, an electric resistance wire in said in-v sole, a source of electric current external to the footwear,.a pocket on the footwear andmeans for connecting electric resistance wire l with said source, saidmeans extendin from a connectionV with said electric reslstance wire to the outside of tsaid footwear and then through the said the top thereof.,

lpocket to apoint near` 

